Archives: FS

Tongcheng was a bustling city.

There were no ragged victims in the city. Those who came in must have been driven out. However, many shops on both sides of the street were closed.

Mrs. Chen took the silver from Gu Zhang and hurried to buy shoes.

Fortunately, the price of shoes has not increased. The inferior ones cost one or two hundred copper coins, and the better ones cost three or five hundred copper coins.

Mrs. Chen took the cheapest pair of shoes for everyone in the family, even Lian’er.

The front toes of Lian’er’s shoes were exposed.

Gu Fei took her eldest brother to the medicine store again. Her eldest brother bought too few herbs before. The weather was getting colder day by day. He often rests in the wild, so he is prone to cold. He also needs to buy some medicine for healing injuries.

The two walked into the medicine store and met a black-clothed guard carrying a blue-clothed boy on his back, and there was another guard beside him.

Gu Fei was slightly startled. Wasn’t this young man the one she met at the inn that day?

Being carried on someone’s back, was he injured?

Gu Fei looked away after just one glance.

The first thing Su Chen saw was the blue floral jacket and skirt.

The jacket and skirt were gray, and the bottom of the skirt was still stained with mud.

Su Chen’s mouth twitched slightly. It had been several days. Could it be that this girl had never changed her clothes?

Looking up from the bottom, he saw a delicate face. The face was still clean, but the hair was all hairy.

Su Chen remembered the shopkeeper’s words that this girl was unusual. He pursed his lips. What was unusual about her? She was just a sloppy little girl.

Chen Hu carried Su Chen out of the pharmacy and saw several mule carts outside and Gu Zhang on them: “Sir, that girl is the one we met at the inn a few days ago, right?”

Su Chen said: “Mmm”.

Chen Hu said again: “Since the young master said that he would leave after buying a carriage today, why not ask them where they are going? If they are going the same way, it will be safer for us to follow them.”

Su Chen frowned slightly: “They are just farmers, why follow them?”

The guard Zhang Ze next to him said: “Sir, I think what Chen Hu said makes sense.”

“The old man leading them is a martial artist. I saw it when we met that day. Maybe this group of people has some tricks.”

“The road is still long, there are so many refugees, and two fists can’t beat four hands, I’m afraid that Chen Hu and I can’t protect the young master. The escort agency doesn’t have any escorts now. At least they have more people and can resist anything they encounter.”

Su Chen thought about it: “Okay, let’s ask.”

The few people were circling again.

Gu Zhang and Gu Erlang were sitting on the shaft of the cart. Zhang Ze came over and bowed: “Uncle, we met at the inn a few days ago. Do you still remember me?”

Gu Zhang hurriedly got off the cart and bowed: “I remember, you are–”

Zhang Ze smiled bitterly: “We are also in trouble. When we were about to enter the city a few days ago, many refugees suddenly rushed to the city gate. The officers and soldiers couldn’t stop them. Several horses were frightened and ran away. My young master and madam were also separated.”

“Our young master was dragged by the frightened horse for more than ten miles, fell out of the cart, and broke his leg.”

Gu Zhang quickly expressed his sympathy: “This is a natural disaster!”

Zhang Ze nodded: “Who said it wasn’t? I want to ask, uncle, where are you and your family going?”

Gu Zhang said: “We plan to go to Donghai County.”

Zhang Ze looked back at Su Chen, who nodded slightly.

Zhang Ze then said: “Uncle, I have an unwelcome request. I wonder if I can go on the road with your family. We are also going to Donghai County. There are only three of us. There will be more and more refugees along the way. We dare not go on our own.”

Gu Zhong’s face froze. Yesterday, he and Zhang Laoda were on guard. He couldn’t hold on any longer and dozed off for a while. Could it be that someone stole his family’s food at that time?

But there was also Zhang Laoda.

Zhang Laoda also felt guilty. He was very sleepy and didn’t know when he fell asleep.

While avoiding Gu Zhong’s gaze, he wondered, if this thief was also strange. Why didn’t he steal from other families but Gu Zhong’s?

Zhang Laoda suddenly asked: “Where is the girl you bought?”

Mrs. Qian looked around suddenly and shouted: “Xiao Hong, Xiao Hong, where did you go, you dead girl?”

There was no trace of Xiao Hong. Mrs. Qian quickly turned over the mule cart, and even the bedroll that was used for Xiao Hong was gone.

Mrs. Qian understood, slapped her thigh sat on the ground, and howled: “Shameless girl, you eat my food and use my things, but you steal my food and quilt. You bastard, chop your head into eight pieces, you deserve to die!”

No one sympathized with Mrs. Qian. Gu Fei saw that Aunt Huang still had a mocking smile on her face, and Aunt Liu rolled her eyes in disdain.

Mrs. Chen winked at Li Chunhua: “What did I say? That girl is not a simple one.”

Li Chunhua quickly flattered her mother-in-law: “You are a wise man.”

Mrs. Chen smiled: “Hurry up and make breakfast so that we can go into the city after eating.”

“We have to buy a few pairs of shoes. Our shoes are worn out after walking for days. We can’t make them in a hurry. I think Dalang and Sanlang’s shoes are broken.”

Gu Zhang took advantage of the fact that everyone was cooking at this time, walked to Gu Rong, and secretly gave him two taels of silver.

Gu Rong wanted to cry while holding the silver, and quickly showed it to Mrs. Li secretly: “This is the silver given by my second brother. We have money to go into the city.”

Mrs. Li nodded: “Let’s pay it back to my second brother slowly in the future.”

While eating breakfast here, the disaster victims around suddenly moved and rushed to the city gate like a tide.

Someone shouted: “Porridge is being distributed, take a bowl!”

When Mrs. Qian heard this, she hurriedly called Xing’er: “You take a basin and follow them.”

Zhang Laoda was also a little tempted, stood up looked, and waved to his wife: “Forget it, there are so many people queuing, I don’t know how long it will take.”

Xing’er bit her lip, “I won’t go. Others won’t go, why do you ask me to go?”

She was afraid that if she queued up to get porridge, her mother and father would take Bao’er into the city and abandon her.

She felt that her mother could do it.

Mrs. Qian slapped her hard on the back of her head: “Are you going or not? If you don’t go, there will be no lunch!”

Xing’er turned and ran away: “If you don’t want to eat, then don’t eat!”

After breakfast at Gu Fei’s house, they quickly packed up and went into the city.

There was no need to wait for anyone at this time since they had agreed to meet at the East City Gate at noon.

Uncle Ma had left without knowing when.

Gu Fei’s family, uncle’s family, and aunt’s family drove to the city gate together.

The line for porridge was very long.

Soldiers were patrolling around with swords to maintain order.

When Gu Fei passed by, she took a look at the big pot of porridge. It was millet porridge, the fire was still burning underneath, and the porridge looked thick enough.

The court usually had regulations, when providing disaster relief, that the porridge should be thick enough to insert chopsticks.

This was not disaster relief provided by the court, but by a wealthy family, so it was not bad to do so.

It can be estimated that these disaster victims can only survive on a bowl of porridge a day, but it was unknown how long this porridge can be provided.

When they arrived at the city gate and lined up to pay, Gu Zhang counted the number of people and paid three taels of silver before his family entered the city.

Xiao Hong responded and followed the water fetcher with the bucket.

Gu Qing built the stove, and Uncle Ma looked for Gu Fei: “Where’s the rabbit meat?”

Gu Fei shook her head: “Uncle Ma, I’m afraid we can’t eat it today, look around us.”

Uncle Ma knew that there were disaster victims all around without looking, and he slapped his head: “Look at me, I forget everything when I get greedy. Let’s eat it another day.”

Mrs. Chen instructed Lian’er to cook a pot of porridge, put some dried vegetables in it, and distribute steamed buns to everyone.

While eating, Xiao Hong’s voice came from Mrs. Qian’s side: “Auntie, you forgot to give me steamed bread.”

Mrs. Qian frowned: “What steamed bread? No!”

“My family is running out of food, and I can’t afford to feed you. You should find another family. I have also fed you for so long, and I am worthy of you.”

Everyone understood when they heard it. Mrs. Qian was reluctant to take the three hundred coins into the city.

Xiao Hong bit her lip and glanced at Gu Fei’s house. Everyone in the Gu family lowered their heads and looked at the sky to avoid accidentally making eye contact.

Xiao Hong lowered her head, and raised it after a long while, looking at Mrs. Qian pleadingly: “Auntie, I don’t want to eat steamed bread anymore, so let me sleep for a night before leaving. It’s cold tonight, and I don’t have a blanket.”

Seeing the girl begging softly, Mrs. Qian softened her heart for a moment: “Okay, you sleep for a night, and don’t follow us tomorrow.”

After dinner, everyone discussed whether to pay the money tomorrow.

Gu Zhang didn’t say anything. He was thinking now that if Gu Fei didn’t go home, he didn’t know what kind of life his family would live.

The village chief sighed: “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Zhang Laoda’s family was quite well-off, otherwise, they couldn’t afford a carriage. The cheapest horse costs about thirty taels of silver.

He sighed and said nothing. Pay it. What else can he do if he doesn’t pay it?

Although his uncle’s family lives in the mountains, he and his two sons are good hunters. He can also nitrate leather. In a year, he can save at least ten taels of silver.

However, his family was used to saving money and was reluctant to eat fine grains. They still have a lot of silver.

Gu Zhong still has his mother’s pension in his hand, two taels a year, and he has saved ten or twenty taels in these years.

The only one who had no money was Gu Rong. He only had a few coins in his hand, which was not enough.

He grabbed his hair and was about to speak, but Gu Zhang touched him, and Gu Rong was silent.

Aunt Huang didn’t say a word from beginning to end. There were only two people in her family anyway, so she could afford this little money.

Seeing that no one said they would not go into the city, Uncle Ma said: “Then everyone should go to bed early. Go into the city tomorrow and buy what you need, especially food and water. Meet at the East Gate at noon and set off.”

Everyone went to bed.

Gu Fei was getting dressed when she suddenly heard Mrs. Qian’s scream: “Where is my millet? Where is my bag of millet?”

Everyone panicked when they heard it and quickly checked their food. Fortunately, it was all there.

Gu Zhong said impatiently: “Look again, you put that little bit of food here and there all day long, who knows where you put it.”

Mrs. Qian madly turned over everything in the cart and sat on the ground: “It’s gone, it’s all gone.”

She suddenly got up: “Who were the night watchers yesterday? What were you watching for? Didn’t you see anyone stealing my things?”

The uncle stood up and frowned: “I watched with Dalang in the first half of the night yesterday, and didn’t see anyone approaching the cart.”

“Your husband watched in the second half of the night, ask him!”

Gu Fei stood up measured half a liter of millet and brought it to Mrs. Qian: “Here, I give it to you. Lian’er will be mine from now on. Don’t say anything more.”

Mrs. Qian took a bag to put the millet in, handed the bucket to Gu Fei, and said with a wry smile: “How can that be? Your aunt is not an unreasonable person.”

Gu Fei took the bucket and turned around. Lian’er suddenly knelt in front of Gu Fei: “Miss Xiao Fei, Lian’er’s life is yours from now on. I am yours in life and yours in death——”

She knew that Gu Fei’s family did not need a maid. She was willing to pay half a liter of millet to buy herself, purely out of Gu Fei’s kindness. She couldn’t bear to see Mrs. Qian abuse her and save her from the fire pit.

Mrs. Chen laughed at the side: “What nonsense are you talking about, girl? Get up quickly.”

Gu Fei pulled her up: “Just call me Xiao Fei, you haven’t eaten yet, here, I give it to you.”

She took out a white flour cake from her arms and handed it to Lian’er, who pushed it away anxiously: “I don’t want to eat this, I’ll just eat coarse grains.”

Gu Fei grabbed her hand and stuffed the cake into her hand: “You should follow our rules when you come to our house. Everyone in our house eats the same.”

The old lady muttered at the side: “Is the bought girl also worthy of eating white flour? If everyone eats like this, everything will be eaten out!”

Gu Fei glanced at her and took Lian’er away.

Mrs. Qian saw Gu Fei handing Lian’er a cake, snorted, and gave the newly bought girl steamed bread.

The girl was very nice and said: “Thank you, Auntie.”

While chewing the steamed bread, the girl said, “Auntie, my name is Xiao Hong. My family is all gone. You are my benefactor for giving me food. I will work hard to repay you in the future.”

Mrs. Qian was relieved. This girl was good at talking and was much more likable than Lian’er.

Mrs. Chen sneered over there and said to Li Chunhua next to her: “Just wait and see. This girl is very cunning. Qian may suffer from her one day.”

At this time, Gu Sanlang finished watching the excitement and got up to go to the dark to relieve himself. Just after he finished relieving himself, a black shadow ran past him.

Gu Sanlang saw that the black shadow looked like a rabbit in size and shape. He rushed forward regardless and pressed the thing tightly under his body.

He reached out and touched it. It was furry. He took it to the light and saw that it was indeed a gray rabbit.

“Sister, sister, Xiao Fei——”

Gu Sanlang shouted at the top of his voice: “Come here, I caught a rabbit!”

Everyone looked over here.

Boss Zhang couldn’t help but mutter: “Why is the second son of Gu Family so lucky? They can catch snakes and rabbits. Why can’t other families catch them?”

He has been craving meat for a long time.

Aunt Liu echoed from the side: “That’s right, this person, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. Back then, Gu Laoer was sick and dying, but he survived by selling Xiao Fei.”

“As soon as Xiao Fei came back, the family’s fortune picked up. That girl is blessed. Catching a rabbit is nothing. Just watch, his family’s life will only get better and better.”

Gu Fei ran over quickly: “Wow, what a big rabbit, enough for a meal.”

Xiao Cao also ran over and hugged Gu Sanlang’s trouser legs: “Uncle, let me play with the rabbit.”

Li Chunhua hurriedly coaxed her: “Xiao Cao, let’s not play with this. Rabbits need to eat grass. Now there is no grass for them to eat, and they can’t be kept alive.”

Xiao Cao asked: “Then what should we do with the rabbit?”

Gu Sanlang smiled: “Xiao Cao, was the snake meat delicious that day? Let the aunt cook this rabbit. It will taste better.”

Xiao Cao nodded vigorously: “It’s delicious. I want to eat rabbit.”